Deployment

I had the table already set up from a previous game, so after a few changes we started deploying. One Ímetron scattered into the midfield on the right, with the second one scattering back into his deployment zone. He put his Umbra Legate on my right and the Daturazi on the left. His two Krakots showed up near the middle of his deployment zone with an Ikadron on either side. Dr. Worm scuttled about in the back, behind a building.

I put my Gecko in the center, left a little exposed to ARO anything coming up the right side. My Lunokhod and Tsyklon flanked the Gecko on either side, ready to race up the field. I paired each of them with a Morlock. To give the Lunokhod’s side a bit more punch, I added an Intruder MSR. The left side got reinforced by the Jaguar as a throwaway ARO piece, along with a Forward Deployed Krakot and an Infiltrated Moran. Finally, my Interventor Lt tucked himself into some crates in the middle of my deployment zone. With that complete, the Avatar stomped onto the field in the center, with the Q-Drone appearing on my right.

Turn 1

We roll for zones, with him needing my far right zone and me needing my far left zone.

Top of Turn 1 – Combined Army

The Daturazi and Krakots advance up the field. The Krakot in the center gets glued to the ground by my Jaguar, but I whiff with the Moran’s shotgun. The template would’ve hit the Avatar too! Oh well. The second Krakot gets blasted off the table. His impetuous orders done, he goes cyclic with the Avatar, wiping out the Moran and Jaguar without much difficulty. The Q-Drone gets buffed and lights up my Gecko but fails to wound. My turn.

Bottom of Turn 1 – Nomads

My own impetuous troops roll up the board without much incident. My Intruder drops the Q-drone with surprise shot through one of the Morlock’s smoke grenades. The way clear, I activate the Lunokhod, scoot it up the board, and park it on a building after stealing his forward-scattered Ímetron with Minesweeper. I activate the Tsyklon and just barely land a pitcher right next to the Avatar, moving my Zero into base to base with one of the objectives on the right, successfully isolating the Avatar through the repeater. With that, my turn is over.

The Avatar is in the correct zone, scoring Adam 2 points to my 0. Since I’m the only one with a specialist on one of the objectives, I make my WIP roll and flip the zone to my close right zone.

Turn 2

Top of Turn 2 – Combined Army

Thanks to Oblivion, he’s in loss of lieutenant. Adam has never been one to panic though, and just keeps the good times rollin’. The Daturazi rolls up the table, and then it’s down to his non-impetuous units. He runs his Ikadron up the table, flamethrowering my Lunokhod, the traitor Ímetron, and my Morlock, but I just flamethrower him back.

It’s so warm in there from all the fire that everyone takes a nap. He manages to cybermask his Legate and get it up next to my Zero, but I Carbonite his HD+ with a lucky roll. The Avatar shuffles forward into the new zone with its order, trading some ineffective fire with my Gecko. Dr. Worm spends his remaining orders beep-booping the Avatar, bringing it back into his main combat group. At the same time, the slave drone picks the Q-drone back up. What is this nonsense!

Bottom of Turn 2 – Nomads

I advance my Krakot a little further towards his Daturazi, and my second Morlock breaks itself against the Avatar. I need to deal with the Avatar real bad, so I throw two Blitzens at it with my Gecko and he fails a BTS roll on the second hit. Success! Back to Loss of Lieutenant for you, Adam! I scuttle my Tsyklon up the field and try to to murder Dr. Worm, spending a few orders until Dr. Worm gets tired of passing ARM saves and just crits me.

Dr. Worm IMBA! CB PLZ NERF! I need to get rid of the Q-Drone so I bring in a Tomcat and flamethrower it down before getting wrecked by a long range shotgun shot from the Legate. With that, I’m out of orders. My Zero fails her WIP roll and the zones stay the same. Adam scores another two points to my 0!

Turn 3

Top of Turn 3 – Combined Army

Dr. Worm fixes the Avatar. Again. Stupid Dr. Worm!!! With the rest of his orders, Adam tries to gun down the Gecko, but fails. On his last order, my Intruder takes a shot and manages to do more than just scratch the paint, racking up a wound on the Avatar.

Bottom of Turn 3 – Nomads

My Krakot rolls around the corner and trades with the Daturazi there, which is exactly what I need to happen. I attempt to immobilize the Avatar with my Interventor, but flub the roll. I activate the Zero and Carbonite the Avatar, getting frozen myself in response from the Legate. With my remaining orders, I run my Gecko into the scoring zone, blasting away with its Mk 12 the whole way. With my second to last order, I shave the last structure off the Avatar just as it successfully resets against all of this shooting. I’m now dominating the zone I need with my TAG, and by killing the Avatar I’ve killed more army points, tying us up for points. Gecko Force One! Get off my Plan- I mean table!

I flip my Interventor’s Lt order and spotlight the Avatar’s hulk to get myself a classified.

5-4 Nomad Victory!

Notes

Holy moley. Dr. Worm is way worse than the Avatar!

Even though the Moran accounted for one of the Morats, I don’t think leaving him out to ARO was the best of ideas.

Stealing people’s orders with minesweeper is amazing. Take that, Combined and Aleph! Bwhahahahaha!

Carbonite is great. Han didn’t think so, but I think so.

I think I definitely need to wreck Dr. Worm very aggressively if given the opportunity, and I really need to put the nail in the coffin for things like the Q-Drone. That would’ve freed up my Tomcat to flamethrower then DEP the Avatar and probably kill the Legate too.

Tomcats, as always, are reliable problem solvers. If I could only fit 2 in every list with the orders to support them.

This game was a bit odd, because usually the way to deal with the Avatar is crushing its order pool and avoiding it like the plague. Instead, I put it into loss of lieutenant, which basically does the same thing.

After the game, Adam and I talked about a new Avatar list, one that includes a Nexus with a Nullifier. Hearing feedback from him after a few more games against other locals, it works great, just not against a CSU with ODD shooting at him.